It was a moment, everyone's thoughts flew to Astori and Barone. My thoughts went much further back, almost half a century, to November 22, 1981. There was another viola lying on the green blanket of the then Campo di Marte municipal building, with his leg sliding dead on his side. It was called (it's called) Giancarlo Antognonihad collapsed when the Genoa goalkeeper, Silvano Martina, with a reckless exit hit him with a knee in the temple, the Captain will unintentionally say it during the trial. Antognoni went down, unconscious, just like Boveeven if the dynamics were different. I relived the same moments, the same terror from back then last night. The first to reach Antognoni was “Pallino” Raveggi, the historic masseur of the Fiorentina team, he moved his tongue so that it did not slip back into his throat and suffocate him, and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while the Genoa doctor, Professor Gatto , the cardiac massage began. I remember those moments as if they were yesterday, as they were yesterday. The Fiorentina doctor, Professor Anselmi, relieved his colleague for the massage and Gatto held his wrist, which wouldn't start again. The silent stadium, like the one yesterday. Bertoni screaming and crying, like yesterday's ViolaOnofri shouting towards his bench “he's dead, he's dead”.
Eternal minutes passed in the stands people despaired and crieduntil, lying on the stretcher that was carrying him towards the ambulance, parked in the same spot as yesterday, Giancarlo made a slight movement with his arm. A photographer in a white raincoat noticed it and cheered as if the Captain had scored the goal of a Champions Cup final. In the press gallery I heaved a sigh that never ended. Yesterday, in the same way, to reassure the fans, some players turned towards the stands to say that Bove was breathing on his own. Antognoni underwent head surgery by Professor Mennonna and returned to the field some time later. I really hope it goes the same way for this boy.
Like then, yesterday too the sense of tragedy dissolved a few hours laterwith the first news from the Careggi hospital where the player had been taken. A tremendous sense that Florence knows well, which took her back six years, to the morning she left Davide Astori in a hotel room on the outskirts of Udine, even then the match was not played. Davide was a former Roma fan, like Bove, and for Florence he became a symbol of peace, friendship and fair play. For years, at minute 13 (his shirt number) of every match, a very long round of applause went up from Franchi.
Last year the tragedy of Joe Baronewho died of a heart attack in a hotel near Bergamo, a few hours before Atalanta-Fiorentina, which was postponed just like what happened this time. The same sense of dismay, of drama, that Florence had breathed for Astori. Now, however, we can feel more relievedEdoardo gave everyone a good scare, but he is there fighting and Florence is at his side.
